Hi! I am new member here; I joined the site just over a week ago and have been amazed at the creativity and wonderful figures! Since I was a kid I was trying to customize my figures (I think the first one was a MOTU Skeletor that -to me- looked nothing like the image that was advertised in the box), but I have never really fully immersed into it. I do kit bashing from time-to-time, as I try not to mess up to much with cracking figures open, etc. (that is for the pros). However, I have been inspired by some of your work, and I am trying to learn more of the art.

I think one line that has gotten little love over the years is James Bond. Sure, there have been a couple of figures (Premium, corgi, Action Man, etc) out there, but I think Hasbro has been missing the ball here: James Bond, the ultimate spy, would play SO well in the G.I. Joe universe... maybe as part as the International Collection? There could be so many iterations of the character (James Bond in Jamaica, James Bond in Suit, James Bond in tux), figures based on the different actors (Connery, Craig, Moore, Dalton and Lazenby), and villains and Bond Girls. I mean if we have 16+ versions of Luke Skywalker, why can't we get a decent Bond?

So, I decided to resolve that, and for some time I have worked on creating/making G.I. Joe Bond figures. I posted some of my figures in the database (the recipes and full galleries are there), but would like to get your thoughts, feedback, and possibly some recommendations for improvements.

Thanks for looking!

- Indy

Welcome aboard!

Honey Ryder is really well done. And I dig the paint on the suited James. Nice work all around.

For the SPECTRE version, I see two options. 1) replace the torso with the later POC Snake Eyes (v.54) sweater torso; or 2) mod the head to sit lower on the neck.

#2 assumes you are using a different head for each of those figures. In that case, you can simply dremel out a deeper socket so that it fits lower. Then look up the "hot glue" trick for creating a new socket to secure it, while maintaining articulation in the new position.

That's trickier if you are using the same head between bodies though. And even trickier still because the neck on the Beachhead torso is crazy long, while the neck on the suited torso is crazy short. If using just one head there may be no perfect answer.

It is possible to chop off the neck ball and cut away material on the long one, or add material to the short one. But I only do either of those as a last resort.

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Great looking bunch of Bond customs!

I agree with bindy, easiest fix is to drill a deeper socket into the head, but if you're swapping that head among various Bond bodies that might not work.

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Yeah, I'm loving a lot of this too. My only suggestions are to fill in Honey's peg scars at her elbows and knees, and to bring her bikini bottoms down to the hip socket. IMHO, bare skin looks best with as few obvious signs of being an action figure. Seams between parts often blend into being clothing folds on fully-clothed figures like the Jameses above, but on bareskinned (or Spandex-clads like superheroes) those sorts of things need to be otherwise disguised to get the best-looking figure.

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Thank you all very much for the suggestions!
I do have two separate Craig heads, so I will dremel and use the hot glue suggestion. Good idea.

Here is another Bond custom I made.

Literally, this was the easiest custom ever. And it fits great with the vintage 5-point articulation figures from the 70's and 80's

- Indy

Be sure to put some oil on the neck ball before popping the glue-filled head on it! That'll keep the glue from adhering to the neck. Once it's on, you can either let it cool on its own or run it under cool water for a few seconds. Only pop the head back off once the glue is room temp so it doesn't distort. There'll likely be some excess to trim away, and then the neck oil to wash off.

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